Distribution Begins for Texas Camping Guide

The Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO) has begun to distribute 250,000 copies of the 2013 RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas, a free, four-color glossy magazine that lists more than 350 campgrounds and RV resorts in Texas and surrounding states.

The 2013 guide, which highlights the fact that Texas is a birders paradise, includes detailed information on campgrounds, RV parks and resorts, as well as old western style maps, according to a news release. Prominent advertisements include Carefree RV Resorts (www.CarefreeRVResorts.com), Kampgrounds of America (KOA) (www.KOA.com) and Trader’s Village, the largest flea market in Texas (http://tradersvillage.com/).

“We focused on a birding theme this year because you can see more bird species in Texas than any other state in the union,” said Steve Haley of Arlington, Texas-based Steve Haley Designs, the lead designer of the 2013 guide.

But while it’s tempting to focus on exotic birds that fly through Texas on their way to Canada or Latin America, Haley said the guide includes photos of commonly seen birds that RVers are likely to see when they visit the various regions of Texas.

“We know we have a lot of RVers who are interested in birds,” Haley said, adding, “Texas is a birders’ paradise.”

Brian Schaeffer, TACO’s executive director and CEO, said an initial batch of directories has already been sent to campgrounds, RV parks, travel information centers and visitors bureaus across the state. Additionally, pallets of the guides were sent to Anderson’s Brochure Service (http://www.campwithandersons.com) who will distribute them at 24 shows across the Eastern part of the U.S. and Canada.

Additional directories will be distributed at upcoming RV shows, including the San Antonio RV Show, Jan. 3-6 in San Antonio; the All Valley RV Show, which takes place Jan. 10-12 in Mercedes and the Houston RV Show, which will be held Feb. 6-10 in Houston.

The 2013 directory provides detailed descriptions of more than 350 private campgrounds and RV resorts, or roughly two thirds of the private parks in Texas.

The directory is broken up into seven sections, each representing a distinct region of Texas. Locator maps are provided at the beginning of each section, with numbered listings of the campgrounds for each region. Campgrounds are also alpha-indexed by city and park name.

Each campground listing includes a grid that lists the park’s facilities, services and amenities as well as driving directions, a miniature locator map and many parks have panoramic photos showing off what campers can experience. The directory also features a Texas Saver Card, which provides 10% to 15% discounts at participating parks.

The 2013 directory also includes a separate section listing campgrounds with cabin and cottage rentals (www.TexasCabinRentals.com) as well as a listing of park model manufacturers. Schaeffer said almost 25% of Texas campgrounds have cabin or cottage rentals. Many of the parks that offer cabin and cottage rentals also have sites for lease or for sale to park model owners.

Recreational park trailers or “park models” are 400-square-foot, movable resort cottages. Typically upscale in appearance, they often include hardwood floors, bay windows and lofts as well as cherry, oak or maple cabinetry. And because park models are technically classified as recreational vehicles, they can be set up on leased or purchased sites in campgrounds and RV parks and used as weekend retreats or seasonal vacation dwellings.

RV and camping enthusiasts can order the nearly 150-page directory online by visiting www.texascampgrounds.com. The 2013 RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas is also posted on the website in digital page-turning format.